The most important information about the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2026
- Saturday, 23 May: Aosta - Pila
- 133 kilometres, 4350 vertical metres (mountain finish)
- 5 mountain classifications: KM 18.1 (1st Cat), KM 61.8 (3rd Cat), KM 82.3 (1st Cat), KM 92.1 (2nd Cat), KM 133 (1st Cat)
- Intermediate sprint KM 53.9
- Red Bull Kilometres: KM 116.0
- Start: 12:55 pm, finish: approx. 5:15 pm
- Live ticker and results
The route of the 14th stage of the Tour of Italy
The Giro has reached the Italian Alps and the riders are feeling the full force of this right away. As the crow flies, there are less than six kilometres between the start in Aosta and the finish in Pila. However, the stage ultimately leads over 133 kilometres and takes in all the big mountains that surround the heart of the Aosta Valley. As a result, the stage covers 4350 metres in altitude - only the 19th stage has more.
The day starts immediately with a climb. The first 18 kilometres lead up into the Saint-Barthélémy side valley (1st category). The route immediately leads back to Aosta, where almost ten relatively flat kilometres await. These are almost the only kilometres of the day. Up to Doues (3rd category), down again. Then the double combination over the Lin Noir (1st category) and the extension after a short intermediate descent to Verrogne (2nd category) awaits. A 25-kilometre descent follows until the Red Bull kilometre, which awaits at the foot of the final climb up to the ski resort of Pila.
Like the first mountains, the finale is typically long and even with relatively moderate gradients. The last 16.5 kilometres of the day have an average gradient of 7.1 percent, 11 percent at the top, with one hairpin bend after the next. The end is at 1793 metres. The cable car takes you down.
Sporting assessment of the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2026
The Giro has only visited Pila twice, the last time in 1992, when Udo Bölts won his only stage there. He had to cover 260 kilometres to do so - twice as many as the riders now on Saturday. But their day won't be any easier, especially as there will be a few more kilometres on the rollers, as the route immediately climbs for 18 kilometres out of nowhere. If you don't start the day properly warmed up, you can book a place in the Grupetto straight away.
Apart from that, however, only the final climb should make the difference for the classification riders. Before that, the top riders won't dare to leave their reserves. The teams with a double lead could be an exception. It's quite possible that Netcompany INEOS and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will think about sending part of their top duo, generally Egan Bernal and Jai Hindley, into the lead early in order to put the competition under pressure.
But the Giro is still too young to put all your eggs in one basket. There is still a whole week to go after this day. Nevertheless, the day - one of the few with high mountains from start to finish - offers the chance to make up a lot of time with a certain amount of risk. But also to lose.
